The Byzantine Empire was located in the eastern Mediterranean, centered on the city of Constantinople (modern Istanbul in Turkey), where Europe and Asia meet.

Core location

  • The empire grew out of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, with its capital at Constantinople on the Bosporus Strait between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea.
  • This position sat at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, making it a key hub for trade between east and west.

Regions it controlled

At different times (especially at its height under Justinian in the 6th century), the Byzantine Empire included:

  • What is now Greece and much of the Balkans in southeastern Europe.
  • What is now Turkey (Asia Minor/Anatolia).
  • Parts of Italy and other lands around the central Mediterranean.
  • Portions of North Africa and the Middle East , including lands in the eastern Mediterranean (the Levant).

Easy way to picture it

  • Imagine the Mediterranean Sea: the Byzantine Empire at its height wrapped around much of its eastern and central shores.
  • Put a pin where modern Istanbul is; that was Constantinople, the empire’s capital and the geographic heart of Byzantine power.

In short, when asking “where was the Byzantine Empire located,” the best answer is: around the eastern Mediterranean, centered on Constantinople, bridging Europe and Asia.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.